Trance's Tribulations
by Melissa2
Summary: Trance has a problem and difficulty making a decision
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Andromeda is owned by Tribune.  
Author's Note: This is an idea I've been throwing around in my mind for a couple of weeks now. I wasn't sure of  
whether to write a fic or not, but ended up doing so anyway. I'm not very good with titles, either so please forgive  
me there. Reviews are appreciated.   
  
  
  
Trance Gemini pensively paced in her quarters, debating what hadn't left her mind for a couple of days. She helped  
the other members of Andromeda's crew come to decisions that were right for them and everyone else, but the  
decision that she was faced with was impossible for her to make. Unlike the rest of the crew, she had no one to turn  
to for advice or insight on her dilemma. Even if she did have someone to turn to, it wasn't something she could easily  
explain or talk about.  
  
"You knew this was going to happen," she chastised herself. "Just because you're here doesn't mean you're immune  
to it. You hadn't given it any serious thought, and now you only have two days to do something."  
  
Her pacing grew more frantic as her mind was drawn deeper into thought. Her tail lifted from its habitual position on  
the floor to knee level where it twitched nervously. She glimpsed back at it. The change was so subtle someone  
would have had to meticulously observe it to notice the difference. No one would even be aware of the situation until  
Rommie detected it, after it was too late.  
  
"Either tear apart Andromeda or have yourself torn apart. Which is the lesser of the two evils?" she pondered. She  
knew the answer, but it wasn't something she was willing to confront yet.  
  
She gazed at her green bean bag chair and was reminded of Hydroponics. She had been purposely avoiding it for the  
past couple of days. It was often where she had revelations and moments of clarity. Part of her feared that the  
revelation that would come wouldn't be a pleasant one. It was no longer an option to wait. She conjured up enough  
courage to leave her quarters and stepped out into the corridor.  
  
It was strangely quiet. During most of her walks from one destination to another, she would encounter other crew  
members. There was no one on this walk to greet her and ask her how everything was going. She would have even  
been happy to see Tyr, who hadn't taken a particular fondness to her. It seemed very foreboding to her. The feeling  
of impending doom was creeping over her, and she couldn't stop it.   
  
She entered Hydroponics. A wave of guilt rushed over her for allowing them to go without care for two days. The  
more sensitive plants were beginning to droop and were in obvious need of water. She immersed herself in work,  
fertilizing, watering and trimming the plants. Tending to the plants was a reprieve, keeping her mind off the issues at  
hand. The simplicity of the plants sometimes amazed her. While everything around her was total chaos, they were  
content to be watered, fertilized and trimmed, needing nothing else. They had no emotional needs, no morality,  
nothing she had difficulty dealing with. They were just pretty.  
  
She reached her favorite plant, a dawn-tinted amaryllises hybrid she named Aurora, to find it had wilted and turned  
slightly brown. "My poor Aurora. I'm so sorry that I haven't come to take care of you. There's just been a whole  
lot on my mind the past couple of days."  
  
"What's on your mind, Trance?" Harper was leaning against one of the larger, more stable saplings.  
  
She turned around and stood, wondering when he had come in Hydroponics. "It's nothing."  
  
"You've been avoiding me for the past two days. Everyone's worried about you."  
  
"I haven't been avoiding anyone. I just haven't been feeling well." She was glad that she wasn't lying. Worry had  
already made her sick, adding lies to that would make it even worse.   
  
"There's a dinner tonight in Dylan's quarters at nineteen hundred hours to celebrate Jaeron joining the  
Commonwealth. You should come."  
  
"As I said, I haven't been feeling very well." She just wanted to go back to her quarters and forget she had even seen  
Harper at all.  
  
"So, you're too sick for us, but you're not too sick for a bunch of plants?" He glared at her.  
  
She wished he wasn't so insistent. This was difficult enough for her as it was. "I'll be there, Harper."  
  
"Nineteen hundred hours." He walked to the doorway before stopping. He turned back around. "If you change  
your mind and want to talk about it, just find me. I'll listen."  
  
The Hydroponics doors closed behind him. She sighed and plopped down on the floor. She curled up around her  
knees and rocked back and forth. It was a very kind gesture. More often than not, she was the one who did all the  
listening to Harper's problems, ideas and complaining. Under that sarcastic exterior, a place he let few people see,  
was a nice guy. If she couldn't confess this to him, her best friend, then who could she tell?   
  
She returned to Aurora. "I would tell you about all this, but I don't think you could help much."  
  
A little less than two hours passed while she tended to the plants. Hydroponics was looking at least a little greener by  
the time she finished. Under normal circumstances, she would have smiled for a job well done, but these  
circumstances were everything but normal. She gave the plants one last look before returning to her quarters.  
  
"What do I do now?" She was too exhausted to pace after spending so much time working. It had been well over  
thirty-six hours since she last slept. "I'll just lay down for a couple of minutes." She pulled down the blankets on her  
bed and tucked herself in. The warmth started to lull her into a drowsy state. "Just a minute or two more. I won't  
fall asleep." She yawned. "No, I'm not falling asleep." Her eyes closed, and she drifted off...   
  
Complete and utter silence surrounded her. She could hear the blood rushing and her heart beating in her ears.   
Her arm itched, and she tried to move her hand. She was restrained. Her eyes opened, and she saw Command  
Deck around her. It wasn't Command Deck, though. It was an amalgamation of blacks, whites and grays. Not a  
single thing had even the slightest touch of color or distinction.   
  
"You know what you must choose," a voice boomed around her.  
  
"Who are you? Why am I here?" She fought against the restraints of the slipstream pilot's seat again.  
  
Dylan walked onto Command Deck with confidence and aplomb, as silent and black and white as the rest of  
Command Deck.   
  
"Dylan, I'm so glad you're here! Please help me." She smiled as she saw him approach her.  
  
He was silent and passed the slipstream pilot's chair to examine a console.   
  
"Please help me!" she begged.  
  
She was ignored by every black and white crew member until only one wasn't on Command Deck; Harper. She had  
almost given up hope. The silence, lack of colors and disheartening mood, as well as her dilemma, brought even the  
optimistic Trance down. She thought it was only a matter of time before she starved to death.  
  
The doors opened again. She glanced up with a gloomy expression. To her surprise, a vibrant, colorful and  
seemingly normal Harper walked onto Command Deck. Behind him trailed the colors and sounds Andromeda  
usually was home to.  
  
"Harper..." She was rendered almost speechless.  
  
"Hiya, Trance." He released her from the restraints before leaning over and whispering in her ear. "You know  
what you've gotta do."  
  
"But I don't want to ruin something that's already so wonderful."  
  
"Who says you're going to ruin it? Maybe this is an opportunity in disguise."  
  
"I don't want to hurt," she began.  
  
"You won't hurt anyone. You know what you've gotta do, Trance. Do it."  
  
She felt his blue eyes seeing right through her, trying to put her insecurities to rest. There was nothing she could  
say or do, only let it sink in. It started to, and she thought that this might not be such a terrible thing...  
  
  
She awoke confused, not even certain of whether she was aboard Andromeda or not. It took her a minute or two to  
regain her faculties. The dream was very disturbing to her. She sometimes had messages and answers delivered to  
her in her dreams. In the past, she had faithfully obeyed the messages, but this time she knew she couldn't. She  
decided to attend the dinner tonight, but then she would do what she had to do.  
  
She looked at her clock and found that it was 18:49 hours. She had only eleven minutes to prepare for the dinner.   
She changed from her current attire into her dark purple outfit with a silver belt. She fixed her hair. She knew she  
didn't look great, but it was acceptable enough. She hurried down to Dylan's quarters.  
  
"You're here, Trance," Harper said, sounding surprised.  
  
"I don't break promises." She seated herself in the only remaining chair, between Harper and Beka.  
  
Wine was poured and passed around the table, in preparation for a toast. The food in the center of the table looked  
delicious, several of her favorite dishes that she was sure were prepared to cheer her up, but she had pretty much lost  
her appetite.  
  
"A toast to the restoration of the Commonwealth. Only thirty-seven more planets to go," Dylan said as he raised his  
glass.  
  
"To the Commonwealth," everyone echoed and clinked their glasses together.  
  
Trance took a couple of sips of her drink and only picked at her food with her fork. Everyone else was engaged in  
conversation, about sports, shipments and whatever came up in-between. She was silent, though, just nodding when  
it was necessary. Being sociable was hopeless when so much was on her mind.  
  
"Trance? Are you with us?" Harper asked.  
  
"Yes," she replied.  
  
"What do you think? Yes or no?"  
  
She hadn't been paying attention and wondered what she had been asked. "Definitely yes."  
  
Everyone stifled their laughter. Dylan asked, "When did you develop an interest in air hockey and pool?"  
  
"I...I've always liked them." She wondered what air hockey and pool were.  
  
"It's getting late. I have a lot to do before I sleep," Rev said as he stood. "I enjoyed dinner, Dylan. Good night  
everyone."  
  
"Speaking of going, I have things that need to be done, too." Tyr stood. "Thank you, Dylan."  
  
"I'm going to turn in, too," Harper said. He leaned towards me and whispered, "We need to talk later."  
  
She nodded and watched everyone but Dylan leave. "I'll help you clean up."  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"No, I want to." She started picking up dishes and carrying them to the kitchen portion of Dylan's quarters. She  
turned on the water and let the sink fill up. She washed several plates and laid them beside the sink.  
  
"Are you all right, Trance?" Dylan dried the dishes and placed them in cabinets and drawers.  
  
"I'm fine." She finished washing the last dish and released the plug in the bottom of the sink.  
  
"You haven't been yourself the past couple of days, and we're all concerned."  
  
"I've just been a little sick. That's all. I'm feeling better already." She smiled for his benefit.  
  
"Thanks, Trance. Good night."  
  
"Good night, Dylan." She exited his quarters and headed towards her quarters.   
  
She reached a juncture between the corridor she would take to her next destination and the one leading to her  
quarters. She stopped in her path and turned away from her quarters. Her next destination was Hangar Bay. She  
walked inside and stared at the Maru. She had flown with Beka enough to be able to set it to auto pilot. It didn't  
matter where she went. The results would be the same.   
  
She boarded the Maru and was heading towards the cockpit when something dropped from a tube above in her path.   
It was Harper.  
  
"What do you think you're doing, Trance?" He blocked her from moving any farther forward.  
  
"I'm saving you and everyone else on board." She tried to push past him.  
  
"No you don't! I want an explanation. Why are you doing all this?"  
  
"I would tell you, but I can't. Not telling you is the best choice." She wanted to tell him, for him to make everything  
better again. On some level, she realized that wouldn't happen, though.  
  
"I've heard a lot in my life. I can handle whatever you have to say."  
  
"If I did tell you, it would only complicate this."   
  
"We're best friends, aren't we? Best friends tell each other stuff, and then they work it out. Together."  
  
She felt a pang of guilt in her heart. "All right...I'll tell you. I haven't told you much about my species."  
  
"You haven't told me anything."  
  
"In my species, when females reach maturity, they go into...a state where they release a type of psychic energy that  
causes violence in males. It pulls them towards the female, even when the female is stars away." She blushed and  
didn't want to continue.  
  
"Kinda like dogs on Earth in heat. You're in this stage?"  
  
"I will be in a matter of less than two days. The males will destroy Andromeda if they find me. So I can't risk that.   
I'm taking the Maru and protecting all of you."  
  
"Is there any other way you can stop it?"  
  
"It isn't an option."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Because it would ruin something I don't want to ruin." The tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want to be  
having this conversation.  
  
"What is the other option?"  
  
She sighed and trained her eyes on the ground. "I have to have sex before my brain goes into that state."  
  
"So you're just going to lay dead in space until some guy from your species comes and basically rapes you?"  
  
"Yeah." I felt like a terrible person.   
  
"Have you ever had sex before, Trance?"  
  
She didn't like all of the personal questions that were being posed. Instead of speaking, she just shook her head and  
kept her eyes on the ground.  
  
"Wouldn't you rather have someone that really cares about you...hell, I love you, Trance."  
  
She was shocked that he loved her. Friendship was one thing, but love was another. She wasn't even sure she really  
knew what love was. She didn't think she had experienced it, but if she had, it was for him. "You're...pretty much  
my only friend. And I don't want to lose you. I want to tell you that I love you, but I don't even know what love  
really is."  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you. There's a chance that our friendship could be ruined. But there's also a chance  
something beautiful could be created. Love is one of those things that you just can't put into words. If you love  
someone you know it."   
  
"It...wouldn't be right, Harper." She gazed up at him.  
  
He kissed her gently. She closed her eyes and didn't resist. It felt natural, as if she had been kissing him every day of  
her life. She had wondered for a long time what his kisses were like and was pleasantly surprised.   
  
"Tell me, Trance. Was that wrong?"  
  
"No..." She didn't have much of an argument anymore.  
  
"We don't have the luxury of moving as slowly as most people, but wouldn't you rather have that than some savage  
purple guy?"  
  
She nodded. "I'm scared."  
  
"You don't have to be. Can we get off the Maru now before Beka finds us and kills us?"  
  
"Yeah." She weakly smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.  
  
They began walking out of the Maru. "Trance, how do you know you're going to go into this thing?"  
  
"It's my tail. It's a much darker shade than my skin. And I feel funny."  
  
"It is darker." He touched her tail.  
  
"How many women have you been with?"   
  
"Ummmm...I really couldn't tell you." He was obviously uncomfortable.  
  
"Just approximate."  
  
"Let's see...four carry the three add six and subtract eleven. I've been with three women. But don't tell anyone  
that."  
  
"Did you love them?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Why were you with them, then?"  
  
"It felt good. And they didn't love me, either. It isn't like you and I."  
  
"What makes us so different?"  
  
"We're friends. Friendship's a good foundation for real love. I wasn't friends with any of those women before we  
hooked up. And it never lasted very long."  
  
"Do you think we'll be together for a long time?"  
  
"Maybe. A lot of these questions won't have answers for awhile, Trance. Love's a mystery and different every time.   
It could last an hour or a night or a week or a year."  
  
She was quiet and wondered what would come of this. Love was confusing. She longed to know what would  
happen before hand. For the first time, she didn't have any intuition towards something. Like everyone else, she  
would have to live day by day and have the answers unveiled slowly. 


	2. Chapter 2

Trance yawned as she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was a warm body wrapped around her. Her  
instinctive reaction was fear. Even in total darkness, she knew these weren't her quarters. She wondered if she had  
been kidnapped by one of the males of her species. The memories of the evening were vague, and she wouldn't have  
put anything beyond doubt the way her life had been unfolding recently. It all slowly began to return to her mind.   
She remembered her tail and the fact that she had two days to mate before she began releasing a psychic energy that  
would lure any violent male of her species to Andromeda. She had gone to the dinner to celebrate Jaeron joining the  
Commonwealth against her better judgment. She left the dinner and boarded the Maru, more than ready to leave  
Andromeda behind to protect everyone. Harper stopped her and proclaimed his feelings for her. She had thought  
about the alternative, floating dead in space and waiting for someone she didn't even know to basically rape her. The  
right choice seemed all too obvious. He was the warm body, and these were his quarters.   
  
'Harper told me he kept me from making a huge mistake. Maybe I just made an even bigger one. We can't go back  
to being just best friends anymore. I've read enough about human relationships to know that. He said that he loved  
me, but maybe he was just trying to protect me from my own kind...what happens now?' she thought.  
  
She tried to fall back asleep and save her worries for the morning, but it was a hopeless attempt. She turned over and  
shook Harper. "Wake up."  
  
"Huh?" he asked groggily. "What happened? Oh yeah, now I remember. What's wrong, Trance?"  
  
"What happens now?"   
  
"We sleep until morning and then I go to Engineering and you go to Med Bay." He rolled over and buried his head in  
the pillow.  
  
"No, what happens to us?"   
  
"Oh...I don't know right this second. Can I have a few more hours to sleep on it?" he murmured into the pillow.  
  
She barely understood his words and was slightly annoyed he seemed unconcerned. "I can't sleep."  
  
A minute passed, and Trance remained in her state of unrest. "Neither can I now." He sat up, leaning against the  
wall behind the bed.  
  
"Do you really love me, Harper? Or were you just saying that to keep me from leaving?" She wondered if she really  
wanted to know the answer to that question.  
  
He was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I love you."  
  
"I think I love you, too." She still wasn't certain what love was, but she knew that if she felt it for anyone, it was  
him. She hoped she wouldn't grow to regret that fact.   
  
"There's something that you've gotta know, Trance. We can't be anything more than friends around everyone else.   
Not yet anyway."   
  
"Why?" She thought he was ashamed to admit to being with her.  
  
"Well, everyone, Dylan especially, are kind of protective of you. They wouldn't think it was right that we're  
together. They'd think I was using you."  
  
She knew Harper was right. Dylan was a father figure to her and, like a father, he had a tendency to treat her like she  
was a child. Actually, she hadn't told him her age and the equivalency that was to human age. She hadn't told him,  
or anyone, much of anything about her people. It was safer that way. If he found out that she was romantically  
involved with Harper, she knew he would come to the assumption that she was being taken advantage of. Everyone  
thought she was more naive and childlike than she really was. "I understand. I know that you aren't just using me."  
  
She was just beginning to realize the implications this could have for the entire crew's relationships. It wouldn't be  
just Dylan opposing them. Beka would probably have something negative to say about it. Tyr didn't seem to be very  
fond of either of them. It would just give him another reason to dislike both of them. She wasn't sure where Rev  
would stand on the issue. He seemed open-minded about most things and might give them a fair chance. Rommie  
most likely wouldn't show any concern, unless it started affecting her through lack of repairs.  
  
"It's 2:30 AM. Duty doesn't start for another seven hours. How about you and I have an early breakfast?" he asked,  
interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"That sounds good. I'm hungry." She started to roll out of bed, but he grabbed her arm before she could stand.  
  
"No, I'm going to get dressed and go get it. We'll have breakfast in bed." It was still dark, and she heard him trip on  
something. He cursed under his breath and kicked the offending item into a wall before turning on his lava lamp.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I just need to pick all this junk up off the floor before I fall and break my neck." She watched him pull on his  
clothes and run a comb through his hair in the dim reddish glow. "I'll be back in a minute."  
  
The door closed behind him, covering the room in the brighter corridor light for a moment. She threw the blankets  
off of her and tip toed over to his closet, avoiding stepping on the things lying on his floor. She found a robe in his  
closet and slipped it on. She started picking up the items on the floor and placing them in a pile in the largest free  
corner. She was very organized and would never let this much of a mess accumulate. He was so different from her,  
yet they had a strong friendship since the beginning. It perplexed her how two people who couldn't be more opposite  
were drawn together.  
  
"I'm back." He walked through the door with a tray. "Did you miss me?"  
  
"Of course." She smiled and crawled back into bed. "What are we having for breakfast?"  
  
"Bacon, eggs, toast and orange juice." He placed the tray on his bedside table and walked over to his bureau. He  
opened a drawer and pulled out a large bottle.  
  
"What's that?" she asked.  
  
"Vodka for the orange juice." He poured vodka in the orange juice pitcher until it was full.  
  
"Oh...isn't it a little early to be drinking?"  
  
"It's just a little vodka. We're not gonna get drunk." He poured two glasses of orange juice and handed one to her.  
  
She hadn't had very much alcohol and trusted his judgment. She cautiously sipped the concoction. It was a little  
tangy with a burning after taste. She decided she liked it. "This is good." She finished the glass and poured herself  
another one.  
  
"Don't take it too fast. It could make you sick," he warned.  
  
"I'll be fine." She glanced at the tray. All the food was on one plate. "Why aren't there two plates?"  
  
"I figured we exchanged enough spit already to get diseases from each other, so why not share?" He flashed one of  
his grins at her that would have melted an ice world.  
  
She laughed. "You've got a point there."  
  
They finished their breakfasts, and the pitcher of vodka and orange juice, fairly quickly. He glanced at her strangely  
before asking, "How many glasses of orange juice did you have, Trance?"  
  
"Ummmm...well, three maybe?" She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"I had three. You must've had like eight or something! You know what that stuff does if you drink that much?"  
  
"Yeah." She smirked before springing forward and pinning him to the bed, kissing him passionately.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Rise and shine, Trance." She opened her eyes and found that she was very sensitive to light. Her head was  
throbbing, and she didn't think she was physically capable of getting up.   
  
"No." She groaned and reached for a pillow. She soon discovered she was laying on the floor. "Why am I not in the  
bed anymore?"  
  
"You don't remember? Man, Trance, it was out of this world! I hope your blackout isn't permanent. That was one  
of those once-in-a-lifetime things."  
  
She didn't want to cause the crew to expect what had happened, so she reluctantly pushed herself to her feet. She  
glanced over at the bed. A folded outfit was set on the bed. 'He must really want to avoid suspicion to do this,' she  
thought. "Are we late for duty?"  
  
"No, we've still got fifteen more minutes." He was already dressed and ready for work, sitting on his bed.  
  
She finished getting dressed and fixing her appearance to cover what she had spent her night doing. Her headache  
was still showing itself, but she had something in Medical Bay that took care of hangovers. "Let's go."  
  
"I'm going to go first. And when I knock on the door, you can go." He walked out the door.  
  
She heard a knock a moment later and exited his quarters. "Are we going to have lunch together?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, Trance..."  
  
"We've had lunch together almost every day since we've been aboard Andromeda. Won't it look suspicious if we  
stop having lunch together?"   
  
"Yeah. I guess you're right." He sighed and stopped in front of the Engineering door.   
  
"Have a good day, Harper." She leaned forward to kiss him, but he turned away.   
  
"We can't risk it. I'll make it up to you later." He walked into Engineering.  
  
She felt hurt, but cast her feelings aside and headed to Medical Bay. She treated herself for the hangover and did a  
little tidying. Her duties in Medial Bay were done for the moment. Since she had nothing else planned, she headed to  
Hydroponics. The plants seemed to perk up when she entered the room. It didn't make her as cheerful as it usually  
would. Not even seeing Aurora significantly raised her spirits.   
  
"Trance." She turned around to see Beka.  
  
"Hi Beka." She smiled to conceal what she was really feeling. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Nothing. I just dropped by to see how you're doing."  
  
"Why wouldn't I be doing well?" She hoped this wasn't leading to anything about last night.  
  
"Harper said something about you being sick for the past couple of days." The older woman's eyes saw right  
through her.  
  
"Yeah. I wasn't feeling very well, but now I'm all better."  
  
"What did you have?"  
  
"Ummmm...just a little bug. One of those forty-eight hour things."  
  
"How did you treat it?" Beka stepped closer to her.  
  
"Well...I used some...unconventional methods to get rid of it. And a little bit of rest helped, too." She was growing  
increasingly uncomfortable. 'Way to go, Trance! If she didn't already know something was up, she does now,' she  
thought.  
  
"I haven't been feeling great. Do you have anything you used to treat yourself left?" Beka's blue eyes were  
accusatory, penetrating through Trance's lies.  
  
"I have some hypos in Med Bay that could probably alleviate your symptoms." She nervously tried to avoid the topic  
that was being led to.  
  
"No. I think I'll be all right. I'll be on my way now. I have other places to visit." She walked out of Hydroponics.  
  
Trance sighed. "I wonder how much she knows..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Trance stared at the door after Beka exited Hydroponics. She silently mulled over the conversation. Beka had implied she was aware something was going on. She wasn't really feeling under the weather, and Trance was certain of that. It, on one hand, could be totally unrelated to what Trance was worrying herself almost sick over. Beka could have discovered a piece of her past, which would be nearly as unpleasant. On the other hand, Beka was a very intelligent woman who came to conclusions, usually correct ones, easily. Either way, it didn't seem to end happily for her. 'I only have one option,' she thought grimly.  
  
The Hydroponics door closed behind her as she casually strolled down the corridor. Her movements revealed her tension and fear, even though she tried to feign her normal appearance. 'Where can I go?' she thought, visualizing a map of Andromeda's lay out in her mind. 'No one, except Harper maybe, spends a lot of time near Hangar Bay.' She chose corridors less traveled and soon arrived at her destination without incident.   
  
She leaned down and pulled the cover off of an access cover for the network of tunnels connected to Engineering. She slid inside and replaced the cover. The tunnel was dimly lit and seemed to go on endlessly as she crawled. At random rooms, the vent-like grates over the access covers allowed her to see the interiors of rooms. Every room she encountered was empty. She eventually reached the acess cover leading to Engineering. She sighed. 'I wish I didn't have to do this. It makes me feel like I'm betraying him in some way.' She spied Harper fiddling with a small device. He was completely preoccupied with it.  
  
"Just a little adjustment here...and here...now she should be good as new!" He held up the device and turned in a complete circle, staring intently at the device. "Knew there'd be some use for it someday."  
  
The main entrance to Engineering opened. Beka walked in, looking as smug as she had when she approached Trance.  
  
"What can I do for you, Beka?" Harper asked, shoving the device into one of the pouches on his tool belt.  
  
"I just dropped in to see how everything's going with the engines." She leaned against a beam.  
  
"The slipstream drive's more efficient than ever, and everything else is just great! But I'm kinda busy, Beka, so can we talk later?"  
  
"What's a minute or two going to hurt? The slipstream drive's working, and nothing major is malfunctioning. It's my job as first officer to talk to the crew. How was your evening last night?" she asked tacitly.  
  
"It was all right. The dinner was good." He began examining a piece of equipment.  
  
"Did you enjoy dessert?"  
  
"Dessert?"  
  
"Oh, that's right. It was a beautiful plum dessert that sort of glistened in the light. But I guess you didn't have any of that, did you?"  
  
"Ummmm...no, I didn't." He was growing more nervous and uneasy by the second.  
  
Trance clenched her right hand into a fist, her short black nails digging into the skin. 'Why is she doing this to us? She could just go and outright say she knows. It would be a lot easier.'  
  
"Maybe it's best you didn't. If you have dessert too often, it can cause a lot of problems." With that, she confidently walked out of Engineering.  
  
"Damn!" He began walking towards the access cover that she was hiding behind. She instinctively backed up. "I know you're back there, Trance."  
  
"I'm sorry. I know it's not very nice to spy, but I was worried about you."  
  
"Beka came and talked to you, too, I take it?" He pulled off the cover and hopped in beside her before replacing it.  
  
"Yeah, she did...I'm scared, Harper," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. During her time aboard Andromeda, she had not admitted to being truly scared of anything. It made her feel very vulnerable, almost weak.  
  
"I won't let anything happen to you...to us. We're gonna make it through this, baby." He embraced her tightly and began rocking back and forth. A moment passed. He placed several gentle, comforting kisses on her neck.  
  
She weakly smiled and lifted her head to gaze into his deep blue eyes. This time she was the one to instigate a shower of kisses. Her lips lightly brushed against the most sensitive parts of his neck, causing the formation of goosebumps on all of his exposed skin. A small trail of kisses was made until she reached his lips. She captured them in a passionate kiss, savoring their salty sweetness. Her heart was already beginning to race in her chest.  
  
"Trance," he breathed as the kiss broke. "We can't do this."  
  
She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she stared at the tunnel floor. 'He doesn't want me anymore,' she thought. "Why?"  
  
"Don't cry." He wiped away her tear. "I mean I want you so bad you wouldn't believe it. But this isn't the best place to do this, y'know?"  
  
Relief surged through her. Her thoughts strayed from relief to the matter at hand. "It's a pity we can't do this here, Harper. There's a lot this can do that I haven't shown you yet." She grinned as she ran the tip of her tail down his arm.  
  
"Who cares what everyone else says?" He threw off his colorful Hawaiian shirt, leaving his tighter white shirt exposed.  
  
She admired his biceps, running her fingers over the firm muscles. He was much better sculpted than his usual clothing revealed. Suddenly, it occurred to her that he never told her how he knew she was there. "I was quiet and seeing through the panel grates isn't easy..."  
  
"I've got a new toy," he said, smiling as he pulled the small device from his belt. "It's set to track your life signs. I can have several different people on it."  
  
"Is it just me on it right now?" She was intrigued by the device.  
  
"No. I put Beka on it, too, when she was here earlier. That way we won't get any rude interruptions before we're finished. She wouldn't let me forget it ever." He sighed. "I've had enough of this talking. It isn't as fun as everything else we could be doing right now." He quirked his eyebrow and grinned.  
  
Not needing anymore encouragement, she knocked the device from his hand as she kissed him and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
***  
  
"Have you seen my left sock?" Trance glanced around the tunnel for her sock without avail.  
  
"There it is." Harper grabbed the sock, which on a lower step of a ladder leading towards the slipstream drive. "I've never knocked the socks off anyone quite like that before."  
  
"You didn't knock my sock off. You pulled it off." She was obviously confused.  
  
"It's an Earth expression, Trance. It means sweeping someone off their feet."  
  
"Oh." She was still confused.  
  
"Y'know, falling madly in love...like us." He finished slipping his boots on and tightly embraced her.  
  
She was quiet. Falling in love was one of the concepts she had the most difficulty grasping. She remained uncertain of what she did feel for Harper. There was definitely something beyond the physical affection they had shared. That was wonderful, but this was deeper. Plants were much easier to understand. 'Why can't everything be like Hydroponics?' she thought, which brought her mind back to Beka. "Do you think Beka's going to tell Dylan?"  
  
His expression turned solemn. "I hope not. She might not know anything, though. She's probably just coming to conclusions without any evidence to base them on."  
  
"Do you think everyone's missed us yet?" She rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"If they haven't by now, they'll be missing us soon. I need to go down to Machine Shop. But we're still on for lunch, right?"  
  
"Of course." She kissed him lightly. "I'll miss you."  
  
"Miss you, too." He kissed her. "You should probably go back the way you came and watch out for anyone that might be passing by."  
  
She sighed and watched him crawl back into Engineering. Pretending she didn't care about him wasn't easy. It was even more difficult coping with his avoidance of her, the way he forced her to go back the way she came or refused her kisses in public. A part of her wanted to turn on the ship-wide communications and announce their love. She wanted him every second, not just when they were alone, and it was convenient.   
  
She emerged from the tunnel into the corridor. She quickly began replacing the access cover, but it simply clattered to the deck plate below. Footsteps approached her, and she silently groaned. If it was anyone other than Harper, she was probably in for a lot of explaining. Excuses ran through her mind, but nothing sounded believable.  
  
"What are you doing, Trance?" The voice was the one she had most wished it wasn't.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

"Trance? What are you doing?" Dylan cocked his head as he watched the young woman replace the access tunnel's panel.  
  
"Well, I found this setting on the floor, and I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave it like that. It could fly into someone if we made a sudden turn." Her tail twitched nervously.  
  
"A good precautionary measure," Dylan said, not appearing to fully believe her, but walking on down the corridor anyway.  
  
She let out a sigh of relief. It had been less than twenty-four hours, and already their relationship was becoming problematic. Her stress level had skyrocketed. All she wanted was a little bit of solace, some assurance that this would be worth all the hardships. She knew when she could catch Harper on Mess Deck, and planned to talk to him then. But until that time, she needed to attend to her duties.  
  
Hydroponics needed her attention again, and she headed there to see her plants. They seemed to perk up the second she entered the room. "You're so much easier to understand than this whole love thing." She sighed. "I wonder what Harper's doing right now."  
  
She imagined him in engineering fixing some machine that was impossible for her to understand. He would pick up his welders and other tools, whistling or talking to himself the whole time, and bring the broken piece of equipment back to life. Much like she healed the sick or helped her plants grow, she realized. They had more in common than anyone probably thought.  
  
"Slacking off on the job?" Beka's voice asked from behind her.  
  
She shook herself out of her daydreaming state. "No, I was just checking these roses."  
  
"Of course you were, Trance, dear." Trance didn't like the other woman's tone a single bit.  
  
"Why are you doing this, Beka? I haven't done anything to deserve this. What happened to me being your 'good luck charm' and our friendship?" Trance asked.  
  
Beka stood aback for a moment. "You don't know what you're doing, Trance. You don't know what Dylan will do when he finds out."  
  
"I know very well what I'm doing. It's not wrong when you or Dylan or Tyr or anyone else on this crew does it. Just me because you think I'm some kind of little kid or something."  
  
"It's not you. It's Harper. He's a player, Trance. You know what that is? He can't tie himself down to one woman, but he'll make you think he is. Once a prettier girl comes along, you'll be cast aside for a week or two. Then, he'll be all sweet to you and apologize, telling you he didn't mean to do it. I know what kind of guy he is. It doesn't make him a lesser engineer or friend, but making him more than that is a mistake."   
  
"Harper isn't like that." The tears started pouring down her face. She didn't want to believe what Beka was saying, but Beka had known Harper longer than she had. She could see it happening in her mind, Harper running off with a woman like Andulasia from the Albequerque Drift for a little while. She didn't want Beka to see her crying, so she ran past her and into the corridor.  
  
"Wait!" Beka followed her.  
  
She eventually lost Beka and sunk to the floor. 'It can't be true, can it?' she thought. 'He said he loves me. He wouldn't lie to me, would he?' Nothing was certain anymore.  
  
"Hey sweetheart," she heard Harper's voice say. It's tone changed to a more concerned one. "What's wrong, Trance?"  
  
She wasn't sure if she could ask Harper if what Beka said was true. What if he yelled at her or told her he hated her for even thinking he'd do something like that? On the other hand, she needed to know. "Harper...are you a...ummm....well, a player?"  
  
She saw him trying to stifle his laughter. He turned around and composed himself. "You've been talking to Beka?"  
  
Trance nodded, and Harper sat down on the corridor floor besider her.  
  
"Right after I started out on the Maru, Beka and I went into a kinda competitive mode. For every guy that she was with, I would pay a girl or two to go into my quarters. We'd just talk or I'd show them some cool stuff you can do with a nanowelder and certain types of elements. Then, they'd mess up their hair and make-up before they left so it looked like I was winning this stupid competition thing. I'd never do anything to hurt you, Trance. Ever."  
  
"So you wouldn't leave me for a prettier girl?" She believed Harper's story when she thought about how Beka had been with him right after she joined the Maru's crew, but she just wanted to be sure.  
  
"There is no prettier or more wonderful girl than you in the entire universe, babe. I love you so much more than everything else." He kissed her gently.  
  
The compliment made her blush a deeper purple, and she smiled, forgetting completely what she had intended to talk to him about. "I love you, too. And I'm sorry for ever thinking that you would do anything to hurt me."  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it. Why don't we take a little break from work and go down to my quarters for a while."  
  
"Mister Harper, you aren't going anywhere," Dylan's voice commanded from behind them.  
  
"Oh crap," Harper muttered as he stood and helped Trance to her feet.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Ummmmm...let's see...I was getting ready to leave this corridor, and I think I'll do that now." He started to walk away, but Dylan grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"How long have you been having this relationship?" Dylan's blue eyes stared deeply into Harper's, asking for the truth and only the truth.  
  
"Since...ummmm....last night." Harper was nearly shaking in fear.  
  
"How far have you taken it? And don't lie to me."  
  
"As far as it can be taken and back again."   
  
"Trance, please go to your quarters. Harper and I need to talk. Alone."  
  
"You don't understand, Dylan. It's not what it seems to be," she began, desperately trying to tell him what happened.  
  
"Trance," Dylan warned.  
  
Trance hurried away to the corner, turning on it and appearing to have left. She had good hearing, though, and listened to what was being said.  
  
"Trance is naïve. She doesn't understand what a real relationship is," Dylan said, his tone backing down from what it had been before. "When you started this with her, you put your friendship and the entire crew's relationships on the line. Most infatuations for girls like her don't last very long. You'll end up breaking up, and who knows what will happen from there?"  
  
"But Dylan...I've been with other women in the past, and it's never been like this with any of them. I love her, and I'd do anything to make her happy. You might be right. Our relationship may end, but we'll always have that friendship. I know Trance pretty well, and she wouldn't just break off all ties with me, y'know?"  
  
"Maybe it would be best if you ended it now. To keep either one of you from getting too attached. On a starship like this, you don't know how long you're going to live or what's going to happen."  
  
"We're already too attached. Please don't force me to do this. I love her, and I hope that's something that you can understand..."  
  
"Sometimes we must be cruel to be kind. Does she really know what she's getting into? Can you tell me with all certainty that she loves you?"  
  
"Well, no, but," Harper began.  
  
"You haven't been with anyone in a while yourself, Harper. This could be your physical need for a relationship manifesting itself in what appears to be love."  
  
"We both care about each other more than anything. She knows what she's doing and so do I. Isn't that all that matters?"  
  
"Does she really know what she's doing? Has she been with anyone else before?"  
  
"Not that I know of."  
  
"In some respects you're taking advantage of her, then."  
  
"We didn't have any choice last night, Dylan."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"It's not really my place to tell you this, but she would've attracted a whole lot of hostile whatever-she-is's to Andromeda. She was ready to leave on the Maru and get herself hurt to save us."  
  
"What does this have to do with you?"  
  
"Well, I fixed what was wrong with her. I haven't just loved her since last night. I've loved her since...for a very long time."  
  
"Will she still attract those hostile people?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"We can all have relationship outside of this crew, and most of us have. But having one within the crew is risking a lot of heartache and damage in the future. Do you understand, Harper?"  
  
"I understand." By his tone, it was evident he didn't.  
  
She heard them part ways. She had admired Dylan in the past, thought he knew almost everything that a captain needed to know and had her there when he needed a push in the right direction. But what he had just said completely defied that. It made her hurt inside to know that he didn't support their relationship or trust what Harper had told her. It had all been true, every last word. It hurt even more to know that Harper was being forced to break up with her. If it was at his own accord, she would have understood. Things sometimes didn't work out as well as they had the potential to, and that was a part of life that she had come to accept. But to never even give it the chance to work out was something that she just couldn't bring herself to accept. She needed to show Dylan and everyone else what she and Harper already knew, already saw easily within themselves.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked herself. "How do I make everyone believe that I love him?"  
  
'Do you even really love him?' the back of her mind asked. 'Is he worth all this?'  
  
'Yes!' her heart screamed, and who was she to deny what her heart was saying?  
  
She just needed a plan now, and one was beginning to peak out from under her confusion...  



	5. Chapter 5

Trance found Rommie's avatar in her quarters. "Hi, Rommie. Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course, Trance."   
  
"Well, do you have any information on the Shreeya in your database?"   
  
"The Shreeya...they were a supposedly psychic species from two systems outside of the Milky Way galaxy. They predicted the downfall of the Commonwealth at its peak and made other predictions that have been fulfilled over the past three centuries. Why do you ask?"   
  
"I was just wondering, that's all. Thanks, Rommie." She exited Rommie's quarters, appearing a little happier than before.  
  
***  
  
Harper walked morosely down the corridor. He was being forced to break up with Trance. 'How am I going to break it to her? What's she gonna say?' he wondered. He really didn't want to hurt her. He wanted to make her happy more than anything. There seemed to be no way out of this one, though.  
  
Trance was looking happy as she turned the corner and started walking towards him. "Harper! Just who I was looking for!"  
  
"Hiya, Trance," he said sadly. 'I can't do this to her right now. She looks so happy.'  
  
"We need to go talk to Dylan. I can fix everything." She was smiling.  
  
"By all means, then, let's go talk to Dylan." Harper wondered what she had up her sleeve this time. He didn't doubt her for a second, though. One thing was for sure--if anyone could pull off a miracle, it was Trance Gemini.  
  
***  
  
Trance, Harper and Dylan stood on Command Deck together while Beka was seated in the slipstream pilot's chair..   
  
"Let me get this straight, Trance. You want me to take Andromeda to the edge of the Milky Way to talk to a supposedly psychic species that hasn't been sighted in three hundred years to prove that you two belong together?" Dylan asked.  
  
"The Shreeya remain on their homeworlds. And, yes, I do. They haven't made an incorrect prediction ever," Trance assured him.  
  
"You'll end this relationship if they say it isn't meant to be?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Yes, we will. But if it is, then you have to let us stay together," Trance replied.  
  
"I think it's pointless, but if it will end this, then I'm willing to do it."   
  
"Thank you, Dylan!" Trance contained her urge to hug him.  
  
"Tell me one thing, though. Have you met these Shreeya before?"  
  
"Yes. They're not going to kill us or anything. Trust me."  
  
"Beka, slipstream to the Amanni system."  
  
***  
  
A lavander planet with swirling white clouds lay below Andromeda. It reminded Trance of herself. She boarded the Maru with Dylan and Harper. They flew down to the surface, where she directed them. This place had been her home away from home for a long time, and she hadn't realized how much she missed it before. They landed in a clearing near a small village.  
  
"We'll find them in those huts over there?" Harper asked.  
  
"Yes, that's where we'll find them."  
  
Trance led the two men towards a larger hut in the center of the village. "This is the Hall of Elders," she explained. "It's where the best of the best Shreeya meet."  
  
They entered the hut, and Trance bowed to the cloaked figure in the center.   
  
"Trance, you return to us. These are your friends." The figure gestured at Harper and Dylan.  
  
"Yes, I'm," Dylan began.  
  
"No. Let me. You are powerful, a leader of a great...restoration. I see seven...seven crusaders towards this."  
  
"Yes," Dylan said, surprised.  
  
"And you, young man...you are from the bowels of hell, but you escaped. You found what you had lost when you escaped with these crusaders--a family."  
  
"How does he know that stuff?" Harper asked Trance.  
  
"We tap into cosmic energy, which is timeless. We see all, but cannot claim to know all. We are what we are, as you are what you are."  
  
"What do you see in store for us? And do you do stocks, maybe?" Harper asked.  
  
The elder laughed. "No, we do not predict your market crashes or successes...you have a long, arduous path to follow. I see it being followed by all seven, but there is a connection between you, Trance, and your friend." He gestured at Harper. "It has already began. It is part of the reason you came here, the other for assurance. Assurance that your mission is not futile."  
  
Dylan nodded. He had been rendered speechless by the accuracy of the Shreeyan elder.  
  
"Do not fear your fate. Embrace it. You shall have a hand in the role of a new universe. You know what you have come to know. Leave us now, but you are welcomed to return."  
  
"Thank you, elders." Trance bowed again before they exited the hut.  
  
"That was a little...weird," Harper said.  
  
"I can't help but believe it. It seems impossible, but..."  
  
"It has given you hope towards the new Commonweath," Trance finished.  
  
"Yeah...and good luck to the both of you."  
  
"Thanks, Boss. I won't hurt her. You don't have to worry a bit."  
  
They returned to the Maru and then to Andromeda, not saying much about what they had heard from the Shreeya elders. It seemed somehow sacred and private to all of them.  
  
***  
  
A month had passed very quickly. Trance and Harper had fallen even deeper in love and were in the process of moving into some larger quarters together. No one objected, after watching the couple for a month and realizing how special what they had was. Even Dylan knew he would be wrong to break them up.  
  
"Harper, how long do you think we'll be together?" Trance asked, remembering the first time she had asked that question over a month ago.  
  
"Forever," he replied honestly. "I don't know how I ever lived without you. I'm starting to forget those days, y'know."  
  
"Me too." She rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Those Shreeya that kept us together...how do you know them?" Harper hadn't pried at all about her past since they had been together.  
  
"I used to spend a lot of time with them a long time ago. They were my best friends."  
  
"Oh." He knew she wouldn't go into anymore detail.  
  
"I have a new best friend now, though. You." She smiled. "And we'll always be best friends."  
  
"Always," Harper agreed with a smile and kissed her.  
  
  
~THE END~  
  
Author's Note: So, what did you think? I know the ending was a little sappy, but I couldn't resist. :) 


End file.
